Is the sharing of a Google document by Hamilton Southeastern School Board members a violation of the Indiana open meetings law?  That is the central point of an Indianapolis Star article posted online early Wednesday morning and appearing on the front page of Wednesday’s print edition.

Reporter Rachel Fradette describes a Google document shared with her that shows discussion among board members about student handbook issues before any public meeting discussion was conducted on this issue.

Fradette quotes Indiana Public Access Counselor Luke Britt as saying the board is on a “slippery slope” in sharing the document and discussing the issues using that technology outside a public meeting.  According to the IndyStar reporting, Luke Britt says it’s unusual for a school board to take on or draft policy in this manner.

Board President Dawn Lang responded to the Star in an e-mail asserting the Google document in question in not exclusively a board document.

Fradette also quotes Gerry Lanosga, Indiana University Associate Professor of Journalism, expressing his view this violated the spirit of the Open Door law by sharing a document outside of public view.

You can read the entire story at this link. (NOTE:  your access to this story may be limited if you are not an IndyStar subscriber.  Online subscriptions are very inexpensive.  Once gain, subscribe to your local medai!)

Mike Fassold has retired from his long teaching career in May of this year.  In this podcast, Mike talks about his previous career in the military and his second career as a classroom teacher in HSE Schools.

The new Fishers Events Center is on track for a November-December 2024 opening date, based on comments from Fishers Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren at Tuesday’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.  The board approved $36 million in bids moving the project forward.  According to Hultgren, one more set of Events Center bids will be presented to the board for its consideration in August.

The Events Center will be home for the Indy Fuel minor league hockey team, and is expected to host a number of local events, such as high school graduations and Fishers-HSE High School basketball games.

The bids approved Tuesday cover the costs of masonry, ornamental metals, membrane roofing, interior and exterior glazing systems, structural precast caulking and sealing,  fireproofing, metal wall panels, overhead doors and loading dock equipment,  doors,  drywall and framing, blackout curtains, baffles, seating, and permanent site fencing.

The City of Fishers is constructing the Events Center through a public-private partnership with Hunt Construction.

In one other item before the board, there will be lane restrictions coming in the southbound lanes of Allisonville Road and 96th Street to allow a water main installation for residential development coming to the northwest corner of 96th Street and Allisonville Road.  The lane restrictions will begin this week, but will be done at night.  However, one part of the installation must be started in the morning hours, requiring lane restrictions after 9am, scheduled for Tuesday of next week.

In preparation for the upcoming academic year, Round Room, LLC., the nation’s largest Verizon Authorized Retailer, has announced its 11th annual “School Rocks Backpack Giveaway.” Through this initiative, the company’s TCC and Wireless Zone retailers will donate a staggering 120,000 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to children across the United States. Since its inception in 2013, the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway has already provided more than 1.3 million backpacks to young students in need.

On Sunday, July 30, starting at 1 p.m. local time, over 1,000 TCC and Wireless Zone stores nationwide will be welcoming local families to their locations to collect a backpack brimming with supplies, including pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, a ruler, and glue. The giveaways will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, with one backpack per child present. Any excess backpacks at the events will be generously donated to local schools, chosen by each participating store.

To make it easier for families to locate their nearest School Rocks Backpack Giveaway event, interested individuals can visit this link and this link and select the “Backpack Giveaway Participating Store” filter.

“The School Rocks Backpack Giveaway is our company’s cornerstone annual event, and I couldn’t be more thankful for our store locations, employees and customers for helping us continue to do good in the thousands of communities we operate in,” said Scott Moorehead, CEO of Round Room. “The start of the school year is an exciting time for many, and we look forward each and every year to make school supplies more accessible for students so they can thrive in the classroom.”

According to the National Retail Federation, American families with school-aged children spent an average of $864 on school supplies in the previous year, amounting to a staggering $36.1 billion spent on school supplies in the United States alone. In response to these rising costs, Round Room, through TCC and Wireless Zone, endeavors to alleviate the burden and provide much-needed support to families through the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway.

Round Room, LLC currently operates 1,248 TCC and Wireless Zone wireless retail stores across 43 states. The company is committed to improving and actively participating as a key partner in the thousands of communities they serve nationwide. This dedication has been recognized, as Round Room was honored in Inc. Magazine’s Best in Business in 2022, acknowledging the extraordinary impact the company has made in its industry.

In the spirit of spreading awareness about the initiative, supporters of the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway are encouraged to utilize the hashtag #BackpackGiveaway on social media platforms.

To find out more about TCC and Wireless Zone, as well as the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway, interested individuals can visit the following websites: www.RoundRoom.com, www.TCCRocks.com, and www.wirelesszone.com.

A Fishers man has died in a Saturday evening crash at 116th Street and Spyglass Ridge Drive (east of Cumberland Road).  Jasnoor Aulakh, 21, from Fishers, has been identified as the motorcyclist that died in the accident.  The driver of the other vehicle involved, driving a Ford F350 truck, is identified as Christina Sutton, 48, also from Fishers.

Police say Aulakh was transported to an area hospital from the scene of the crash. where he died.  Officers say it appears the Ford was in the process of turning westbound onto 116th Street, from Spyglass Ridge Drive, when the motorcycle, traveling eastbound, collided with the Ford.

The crash is under investigation by Fishers Police.

Hamilton County Emergency Management, headquartered in Noblesville, issued a statement Monday saying severe weather is a possibility Wednesday this week.

Below is the text of the statement:

The Storm Prediction Center’s day three outlook for severe weather includes Hamilton County. Now is the time to prepare by:

The Fishers Police Department is gearing up to celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, 5-7pm, with an Open-House event at their headquarters located on Municipal Drive. The annual National Night Out campaign aims to strengthen police-community partnerships and foster neighborhood camaraderie in an effort to create safer and more caring communities for residents.

“This is a night to open the doors of the police department to show the community the resources in place to make our community a safe place to live and work” said Fishers Police Chief, Ed Gebhart. “National Night Out is a perfect night for our city to stand together and promote awareness, safety, and neighborhood unity with an added bonus of a concert at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater later in the evening.”

Fishers Police say the National Night is a “community-building campaign that promotes strong police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live and work. Many neighborhoods celebrate the end of summer with block parties, cookouts, and other various events. For National Night Out, we invite you to the police station to learn more about your police department.”

Fishers officers are inviting residents to join them for an experiential evening of learning and fun. Police have several activities planned for all ages to include police vehicles and equipment displays, crime scene collection display, crime prevention information and much more!

The Fishers Police Corps will be serving free hotdogs, chips, cookies, and water. Parking is available in the parking garage. Visitors may enter through the front doors to tour the first floor or can join directly from the Nickel Plate Trail.

With so much road construction activity in and around Fishers, it is a good idea to review the long list of project, some new and many ongoing, for the work week beginning Monday. July 24.

Here is that listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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To learn more about the State Road 37 Improvement Project and sign up to receive text updates, visit 37Thrives.com. 

STATE ROAD 37 AND 141ST STREET
A pre-construction phase at SR 37 & 141st Street is currently in place. During this phase, 141st Street will be a Right-In-Right-Out (RIRO) traffic configuration. 
This is not the permanent configuration. This will allow for traffic to flow more freely along SR 37 until the next phases of construction can be activated. This will eliminate backups along SR 37 that have caused dangerous stops to the free flow traffic and backups on the 146th Street interchange. Again, this is not the permanent configuration for 141st Street. The full timeline for the 141st Street interchange will be provided after project bids are accepted in the Spring 2024. View detour routes here. 

View how to merge safely onto Northbound SR 37 from 141st Street here and onto Southbound SR 37 from 141st Street here. To navigate the merge, remember:

• Use the accel lane to gain speed, not stop
• Use your mirrors and pay attention
• Look for a gap in SR 37 traffic and safely merge

To learn more about the Clear Path Improvement Project and sign up to receive text and email updates, visit clearpath465.com 

I-465 & I-69
Drivers will see an increase in construction along the I-69 corridor in the coming months. This work will focus on reconfiguring the interchange at I-465 and I-69. New ramps will provide direct movements from eastbound I-465 and northbound I-465 to northbound I-69. Binford Blvd. will also be reconstructed to separate local traffic from traffic entering and exiting I-69 and I-465. Access to I-69 from Binford Blvd. will remain open. 

The ramp from I-69 North to 82nd Street and the ramp from 82nd Street to I-69 North is currently closed through late 2023. For detour routes and additional project information, visit clearpath465.com 

To learn more about the Nickel Plate Trail, view the Capital Project Dashboard here.

NICKEL PLATE TRAIL
The City of Fishers is working on the completion of the Fishers portion of the Nickel Plate Trail between Hague Road and 106th Street. The installation of pedestrian rail is currently taking place and pedestrian flashers are not operative at this time

There are daily lane closures currently on Cumberland Road, just south of 126th Street for sanitary and water line work. The northbound right turn lane and the southbound passing blister will be closed.

Phase 2A traffic restrictions are currently in place. These restrictions will eliminate left turn movements from 146th Street onto Allisonville Road and reopen to two through lanes on eastbound and westbound 146th Street. Sowers Dr., Wellington Ct., and Kensington Dr. will be closed at 146th Street during this phase. 

Increased utility relocation activity is expected along Allisonville Rd. south of 146th Street. Flaggers will be present when lane or shoulder restrictions are necessary.

Construction crews will be working to complete the connection of Sowers Dr. to Allisonville Road. Saville Road will be closed at 146th Street for construction crews to construct the new frontage road and Saville Road access at 146th Street. Waterway MOT will be installed along the White River to allow crews to begin working on the White River bridges. 

The worksite speed limit will be 35 mph. Please exercise caution while driving through this construction zone.

For additional project information, visit Hamilton County website here. 

There is a sanitary sewer project currently taking place at Metro Airport at 106th Street & Allisonville Road. There are times where lane restrictions may be in place on Allisonville Road. Please use caution in this area. 

Eastbound 106th Street is currently closed, just east of Cumberland Road for utility work. The estimated project completion date is Tuesday, August 15, 2023. The detour route will use Cumberland Road to 116th Street to Hoosier Road or Cumberland Road to 96th Street to Mollenkopf Road. View detour route here.

I am writing this on July 20th, because I just realized we are less than three weeks until students report for another school year at Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, Wednesday, August 9th.

This brought back a memory from the past that remains fresh in my mind.  My twin daughters are now 29,  so it was around 1999 when Jane & I took Allison and Mary to Harrison Parkway Elementary School for the gathering before the start of school.  They both had the chance to look around their new school for the first time and rode a school bus for the very first time.

I am thinking about the many parents throughout the Fishers area, preparing to send their kindergartners to school.  it is a big moment for parents and child to enter the school for the first time.

This is the time of year families are already preparing for the start of school, but getting-in as much summer vacation as possible as the clock ticks.

So, to all the families with children in HSE Schools, and to all the teachers & staff preparing for another school year, have a good one!

Monica Heltz has been the Public Health Director for the City of Fishers since the city decided to create its own health department as COVID began to ravage the area.

Monica has been a regular guest on my podcast series, so here is the latest discussion with her, including the new restaurant grading system, a possible influx of money from the state, mental health and much more.